Instructions

Finely chop the carrot, celery and onion. Add the olive oil to a large pan and add the chopped vegetables, sauté the veg gently until soft but not browned (around 7-8 minutes). Finely slice the mushroom and add them to the sauted vegetables.

Fry the mushrooms for 2 minutes then add the pureed tomatoes/passata with the crushed garlic and a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir everything together and add the red wine (or water).

Let the ragu simmer gently for 10 minutes then add the lentils. If the sauce reduces too much add a little water to the sauce before the lentils are added. Stir the lentils into the sauce and simmer gently for another 2 minutes, turn the heat off.

To make the bechamel sauce add the butter to a sauce pan over a low heat, once melted add the flour and stir into a paste. Stir the paste for around 30 seconds then add half of the milk, whisk the milk to get rid of any lumps. Once it starts to thicken add the rest of the milk and whisk until it starts to thicken.

Turn the heat off and add the grated cheese, parmesan, nutmeg and a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir the sauce until the cheese has melted and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400F/gas mark 6. Add 1-2 tbsp of lentil ragu to the bottom of a baking dish and spread it around. Add a layer of fresh lasagna sheets (you may need to cut some sheets to fit your dish). Add another 2-3 tbsp of ragu followed by 2-3 tbsp of bechamel sauce (keep 1/4 of the bechamel sauce for the top layer). Repeat this until all the ragu has been used up, ideally, you want around 6 layers. Finish with the final 1/4 of bechamel sauce.

Cover the lasagne with tin foil and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and top with the mozzarella, bake uncovered for 10-15 minutes until the cheese has melted, browned and bubbling.

Let the lasagne rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Spicy Lentil Cakes

These spicy vegan lentil cakes are perfect for satisfying your spicy food cravings! They're easy to make, protein-rich and have a spicy and smoky flavor!

Instructions

Add lentils in a pot and cover them with water. From the moment they start boiling, let them boil for about 15 minutes and then remove from heat.

Strain the lentils very well and put them in a large bowl. Start mashing them using a fork or a vertical blender. Add the rest of the ingredients, except oil.

Start mixing the composition. It has to be sticky and easy to shape. If it’s not it means that you didn’t strain the lentils very good and the composition is too wet. No problem, just add more flour until it has a dough-like consistency. Alternatively, let it rest in the fridge for 10-15 minutes.

Spray a non stick pan with some oil. Not too much. Put each patty on the frying pan and let it fry about 2 minutes on each side.

Notes:
If you don't want to make all the lentil cakes at once, you can just leave the bowl with the composition in the fridge and cover it with some plastic foil. It can sit in the fridge for 3-4 days. Anytime you want a lentil cake, just take some of it and fry the patty.

Creamy Coconut Lentil Curry

This easy to make Creamy Coconut Lentil Curry takes less than an hour to make (mostly hands off time) and is packed full of delicious Indian flavors.

Instructions:

Heat the coconut oil in a large pot or skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cumin and coriander seeds and toast until they start to brown, about 45 seconds. Add the garlic to the pot and let it brown, about 2 minutes.

Add the can of crushed tomatoes, ginger, turmeric, and sea salt to the pot and cook, stirring the pot a few times, for 5 minutes. Add the lentils and, if using, the cayenne powder, and 3 cups of water to the pot and bring it to a boil.

Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and let it simmer for 35-40 minutes, or until the lentils are soft. Stir the pot a few times to prevent the lentils from sticking to the bottom. If the curry starts to look dry, add an extra 1/2 – 1 cup of water.

Once the lentils are soft, add the coconut milk and cherry tomatoes and bring the pot back to a simmer.

Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the cilantro.

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